Staten Islanders react to Outerbridge closingsThe NYC Port Authority announced that, starting July 9th, the Outerbridge will be closed at night on both directions due to construction and paving: How will it impact your life?
Closing hours: Monday-Thursday 10pm-5am; Friday 11:59pm-7am.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- If you ride the Outerbridge Crossing during the overnight hours, don't forget about a major construction project starting next week.

Through Labor Day, the bridge will be shut down Monday through Thursday nights from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following morning. To accommodate New Jersey-shore-bound traffic, Friday night construction will start at 11:59 p.m. and wrap up at 7 a.m. Saturday.

No traffic will be permitted on the bridge during construction hours; motorists will be diverted to the Goethals Bridge, approximately 10 miles up the road.

The Port Authority has also announced schedule that will be in effect from the day after Labor Day until the project's conclusion in October: At that time, the bridge closure starts at 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, with re-opening at 5 a.m. On Fridays, the bridge will be closed from 11:59 p.m. until 8 a.m. Saturday mornings.

According to the Port Authority, concrete slabs for the toll plaza were installed in 1977, and the bridge was repaved in the 2000s. "Both of these surfaces have reached the end of their useful lives," the P.A. reports.

The project, which was approved in April, includes structural rehabilitation of the roadway deck, curbs, safety walk, and parapets; and full pavement of the lanes on both sides.

The Outerbridge turned 85 years old on Saturday. It's named in honor of Eugenius H. Outerbridge, the Port
Authority's first chairman and one of the signers of the agreement that created the agency. The bridge served 14.5 million vehicles last year.